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    Coffee Lab & Roasters Evanston

    4.1 (157 reviews)

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    COFFEE LAB & ROASTERS EVANSTON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for working
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Coffee Lab & Roasters Evanston

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    Homey storefront in the summertime.
    Howard L.

    We were in the area and simply out of convenience, we dropped in to pick up a pint of ube ice cream to go. I found it to be a homey little coffee shop and they specialize in Asian inspired products and flavors here. I could see the shop being very popular with the NU students and there were not surprisingly several present during our short visit. It was also a nostalgic visit to the area as it was very familiar stomping grounds for us as visiting parents back when the kids were attending NU. Anyway, ube was too popular and all gone, and we settled for a pint of red bean ice cream and made by Village Creamery.

    Kesha B.

    This coffee shop is located just a few blocks away from the Evanston campus. When you first walk in it has the homey vibes that just invites you to stay a whole. They have signs everywhere inviting for folks to stay and study in the space. While walking up to the register they have a variety of pastries that were Asian inspired. I picked up a couple Ube breads, and a red bean one. Once you walk to the counter and look at the menu, the menu doesn't quite list all of these signature options but had I have known already known about their Ube latte I would've have missed out on the experience. I've enjoyed the ube latte both hot and iced. I personally prefer it iced because I think you can taste the ube flavor a lot more. But hot is delicious as well if you don't like cold drinks, or just want to warm up. Parking is either street parking, or there is a parking lot across the street where you can pay to park. The staff is incredibly friend and offers service with a smile. They make recommendations and ensure that your drink is to your expectation before you leave the shop. Can't wait to come back when I'm in the area!

    Nazia C.

    First, we had a rather rude cashier. I asked if there was a menu, and she just pointed up at the marquis and didn't say anything. If not for Google and Yelp reviews, I wouldn't have seen other drink options. We ordered an iced ube latte and an iced matcha latte, and it was literally tasted like a large cup of milk with some coloring added. The ube and matcha flavors weren't there at all; all you can taste is the milk. I also purchased an ube white chocolate cookie, and I question if ube is in the cookie. We ended up throwing out our drinks and going to Philz instead!

    London Fog and Chocolate Chip Scone
    Michaela K.

    The London Fog and scone were very good. But the place lacks ambience and quality heating.

    Lavender matcha latte
    Adrianna U.

    I went to Evanston to visit a friend and we stopped by this coffee shop to work for a few hours. I really liked that they offered a variety of drinks with flavoring- matcha, ube, lavender, you name it! I opted for the lavender matcha latte and my friend got a chai tea latte. I was a little disappointed with the matcha. It tasted pretty watered down and I didn't taste ANY lavender unfortunately! In regards to coffee shop vibes, its definitely got that busy student feel. So many tables, I saw lots of group studying going on. It was quite loud, but I do like that type of feel!

    gingerbread latte
    Dorothy Z.

    THIS PLACE CARRIED ME THROUGH FINALS WEEK. great cafe with extremely aesthetic interior decor and great for a nice bite, very creative drinks

    These were the chairs used for the communal tables. It hurt my back right away
    Andrew M.

    I'll give this place 3.5 stars. I was going to do three but then thought about 4 but after reviewing again I'll land on 3.5. TLDR - a lot of seating but some of the chairs hurt my back, the iced chai latte was just okay (kinda watery), but a great environment and great service I decided to trek up to Evanston for a change of scenery. I was trying to look for a place that had a lot of seating and good reviews so I came here. It was definitely busy - lots of students - but there was available seating. I ordered an iced chai latte with oat milk and an ube white chocolate chip cookie. They unfortunately ran out of oat milk and order before mine but one of the staffers ran to a nearby grocery store to grab some oat milk. The other staffer asked if I wanted to wait or if it wanted whole milk and I said I'd wait. I'm glad that they were able to get some additional oat milk! (I'm lactose intolerant.) I first tried sitting at the large communal tables in the back and those chairs hurt my back right away. The back part of the chair is curved and i couldn't sit there for long. A seat opened up at the counter chairs so I decided to move there. It's really tight seating (not fat friendly) and again the chair was starting to hurt my back. Overall not a great seating experience. I turned around and saw one of the individual tables opened up so I switched there and that chair felt great! I could see myself sitting in one of those if they're open but they seem to be pretty popular/not always available. (I wished I took a photo of that comfortable chair but I just took pictures of the other two chairs.) Lastly, the iced chai latte felt watered down and not that tasty. The cookie though was great! In all, would I make my way to come back here from where I live in Lincoln Square in Chicago? Probably not. If I lived in Evanston though, I might try going there on off hours to give it another try.

    The Coffee Lab.
    Aesha E.

    Small coffee shop in Evanston just next to the Noyes stop on the Purple Line. This is an Asian-American coffee shop, and it's my understanding they sell some pastries from the Philippines and other Asian nations. Here today I got a chai latte and ube latte. The ube latte was not for me, as I don't drink coffee; however I understand it was quite good. That drink had a definite flavor of coconut that permeated the drink. My own choice was the chai latte, which is my standard. It's interesting to see how different a chai latte can taste so different from place to place. Here at the Coffee Lab, it was not quite as sweet as I've had at other places. That's not to say it was not sweet at all, because it was, but this leaned more toward the spicy end of the spectrum. And those spices did cause it to trend toward the hot (spicy, not temp) and that was a nice change of pace. In addition to drinks, they sell greeting cards, pastries, sandwiches (egg salad and tuna when I was here), and a few other items. The art on the wall looks to be available for purchase. There is a bookshelf for patrons to selected from. When I was here it was fairly busy, lots of students it seemed. I wouldn't make a special trip to visit this shop, since I live so far away. I'm glad for the owners sake that it's so popular! But it was a little crowded for my taste; not a lot of comfortable places to sit and was a little too full of students hanging out. But they have some interesting and tasty drinks, and could hardly be more convenient for commuters.

    Ube latte
    Dan W.

    Stopped by for an ube latte on a day off, it was lovely! Good ube flavor without being overly sweet. And what a gorgeous color! They have a lot of offerings, ranging from cupcakes to small bites to drinks. There's a lot of space to sit and study as well--this looks like an awesome chill study spot. There's street parking around the neighborhood, and it's a nice area to walk around as well.

    Wilhelmina V.

    This smelled like home when we first came in! The ambiance was awesome, feels homey! So while waiting in line, we looked at the menu and noticed that the pastries and other non- drinks are not posted on their menu, meaning it changes daily which is a good sign. We were surprised they have Filipino breads and pastries!!!! With a twist!!!! Gotta try a bit here and there. The ube cake was delicious! Not so sweet which is good! The ube swirl bread was a no brainer gotta get and bring home to the master. But..... we fell in deep love for the non Filipino bread- the Hokkaido Honey bread toast!!! This is to die for!!! My kids were fighting over it so we got 4 more! And to go too!!! And is the right price unlike the toast we had at O_ _........ sorry..... but no kidding... this is the best!! We also had the ube drinks which was very goody delicious!! They did no good stingy!! Remember- Hokkaido Honey Toast! This has been embedded in my brain and my daughter's too!! My daughter drove for an hour back here again to get for all of us here at Lake County. We will definitely bring my sister here when she comes visit from Cali. And the staff there were so friendly and polite! Especially to Eunice!! We love her!! Thank you for a great and wonderful experience!!

    Annie S.

    Really cute coffee shop by Northwestern. My friend goes to grad school here so we grabbed coffee and walked around the neighborhood. I was surprised to see so many Asian options, like red bean paste buns in to go packages. They have a collaboration with a Japanese Bakery on the weekends. They also had a number of season drinks (see my pic) like apple pie latte and maple brown sugar latte. I got the peach cobbler latte and it was good. I'm not sure that it tasted like a peach cobbler, but there was a peach flavor and I would order again!

    Matcha! It was also Northwestern's graduation weekend
    Saphace A.

    They've got the trending stuff on the menu: ube and matcha lattes. The matcha? I could barely taste it. Maybe it needed an extra scoop? The ube? Hmmm it just needed something more. Kinda thought the ube latte would have espresso but I don't think it did. My sister got a honey mango latte. It was amazing! That's the one to get while you're there!! I believe it's a seasonal drink? I like the vibe here though! My sister got a cute bubble tea sticker. It's not a large place but there are tables and you can walk around Evanston a bit. It's one of my cousin's favorites in town.

    Pandan babingka
    Grace N.

    This is a combined review for Nayon and Coffee Lab since Nayon is owned by Coffee Lab (and is located inside as well). TLDR: get the Ube ensamayda, skip the Ube latte. I wanted to know more about Nayon/the owners but I couldn't find very much info on them. I'd love to know what inspired them to bring SE Asian flavors to Evanston. I did find out that they own Coffee lab and based on their last names, I assume they're Filipino/Korean, which made me feel more assured that there would be some authenticity/respect for the featured culture in their products. Coffee Lab: Coffee lab is a cozy, spacious coffee shop that I could have seen myself studying in back when I was still in school. My partner got a black coffee and I got the Ube latte with almond milk and a shot of espresso. Our total was about $10. Ube Latte with almond milk and one shot of espresso: 3/5 The ube latte was a gorgeous purple color and was only slightly sweetened. The sweetness level was perfect for me, but the ube taste was disappointingly faint. Given that my drink cost $7+ (including almond milk and espresso), I would have expected a more flavorful drink. Ube itself has a mild nutty vanilla flavor with a hint of coconut. Having a stronger flavor wouldn't at all be off putting, even for people who have never had Ube. I wouldn't order this again unless they tweaked their Ube flavoring. Nayon: Nayon is located near the window corner of the shop and features a rotating selection of South East Asian pastries, some traditional, some inspired/modernized/fusion. I love having various SE Asian flavors available to me in Evanston! I wish there was a toaster or microwave available to heat up my pastries though. Tuna Bun: 3.75/5 Solid classic tuna bun with red pepper flakes. The bun was soft, chewy, and not at all dry. The tuna had the slightest touch of Mayo with kept it from being dry but wasn't at all heavy. The red pepper flakes were the perfect addition. I appreciated having a savory pastry option. Pandan Bibingka: 4/5 Dense, chewy, sweet pandan flavored dough with a carmelized coconut topping. If you like mochi, give bibingka a try. Pandan has a foral, earthy, coconut flavor and is very popular in SE Asian desserts. Ube Ensamayda: 5/5 Yessss! Everything I was hoping for. A rich, chewy, soft, fluffy brioche bun filled with sweet ube paste, topped with ube frosting, and the best part.. shredded slightly salty mild cheese. Don't knock it until you try it! The salty sweet combo is addictive and this bun would have only been made better if it was slightly warmed up. This bun was as good as any ensamayda that I've had in Filipino bakeries in SoCal. It also fulfilled the ube taste that I was hoping for from my Ube latte. Ube tastes slightly like a nutty vanilla with a touch of coconut. Super delicious! I asked Nayon's manager to post the daily pastry options to their Instagram story every day so we can see what is available. Also, it would be nice to feature a little sign with some info on at least one pastry/flavor so that people who are not used to SE Asian flavors will not be intimidated. I hope they feature new flavors soon... kaya jam, salted egg, mung bean, calamansi (maybe calamansi bars?). These pastries will make me less homesick for SoCal this winter for sure.

    Chocolate Almond croissant and house coffee

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    Thank You, Tiffany! See you after New Year!

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    4 years ago

    Average food and coffee. This is really just a student hangout. Not conducive to getting work done.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great place for coffee or to work. I like the curry buns they've been selling recently.

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    4 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Really cute place near the train. Intellectual crowd and lots of books to read if you didn't already come with a book/computer/friend.

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    8 years ago

    The coffee was poorly brewed and the internet didn't work. Don't go here if you expect to get work done.

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    6 years ago

    Great coffee, expertly prepared and nice atmosphere. I also loved the honey bread with whipped cream, yum!

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Really good coffee with lots of seasonal lattes! Good pastry & GF pastry options as well.

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    6 years ago

    Great coffee, wonderful food and staff. I leave there with a smile to go with my coffee every time.

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    Page 3 of 4

    Ask the Community - Coffee Lab & Roasters Evanston

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    Newport Coffee House

    Newport Coffee House

    4.5
    (127 reviews)
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    Great coffee, clean and bright setting. Bakery items are excellent. Staff and owner are welcoming…read moreand friendly. So happy that Newport has come to our neighborhood. Safe from the usual vagrant panhandlers that invade too many of the other Evanston coffee houses.

    Please bring back the old version of COCO BREW. I'm begging…read more I've been a regular since they first opened a few years ago, I think around 2019? Their Coco Brew used to be one of my absolute favorite coffee drinks for years, up until recently. I'm not exactly sure when the recipe changed, because as far as I remember it still tasted the same through 2025. I've been busy this year and haven't come as often, but the last three times I ordered it, it was completely different. And since it was made by different baristas, I'm assuming this is a recipe change rather than just inconsistency. (Check the photos to see the differences!) The old version was much lighter, mildly sweet, and had that lovely coconut milk aroma. It tasted fresh, smooth, and really balanced. The new version is totally different. The first thing I noticed was the color. It's way darker now. And the taste matches: darker, more sour, and with a strange almost medicinal aftertaste (reminded of some cough medicine..) The gentle sweetness and mildness are completely gone. Now it somehow tastes strong, sour, and watery at the same time. What happened?? Please don't change something that was already so good. Even the ice seems different now. It used to have smaller ice pieces that filled the cup more evenly and let the liquid move through, so you got that really pretty layered look with the coconut milk and cold brew. Now it's large chunks of ice just floating on top. Anyway, this is just my little heartbreak over a drink that used to be so beautiful and delightful. Other than that, the vibe is still nice as usual, maybe a bit more crowded than before. The decor is still cute, and I've always liked the woody interior. It's also one of the brighter coffee shops in Evanston, with really nice natural light.

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    Indoor vibe
    Indoor vibe
    Bar area and tables
    Bar area and tables
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    Coffee Lab & Roasters Evanston - coffee - Updated August 2026

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